Pottery 1: Final Exam Study Guide

Elements of Art (Ingredients)

•The basic foundation/building blocks of art. 1. Line2. Color3. Value4. Texture5. Form6. Shape7. Space

Principles of Art (recipe)

• How the Elements of Art (and the artwork) are organized.

1. Balance

2. Emphasis / Focal Point

3. Variety

4. Rhythm

5. Pattern (repetition)

6. Unity

7. Proportion

Greenware

• unfired clay

•can be recycled, however once it has been fired it cannot be recycled

3 stages of Greenware clay

• 1. Plastic-The physical property that allows clay to keep any new form it is given. Clay and soil have essentially the same chemical makeup or formula. The reason clay is plastic is due to the physical difference, not the chemical.

• 2. Leatherhard- clay that has dried past plastic, but before bone dry, clay in this stage can still be joined and carved

• 3. Bone Dry- LAST stage of greenware when moisture in the clay body has evaporated so the clay surface no longer feels cold

2 Types of firings pottery pieces go through

• 1. Bisque Fire- Unglazed pottery is fired to a temperature that will make the clay strong but porous. Porosity is necessary for the clay to accept the glaze. During this firing the clay will shrink in size, the percentage that the clay shrinks is called the shrinkage rate.

• 2. Glaze- Glazed pots are fired to a temperature that will cause the clay to become vitreous (hard, dense and non-porous) and the glaze will mature and form a glass-like substance.

Kiln

• an enclosed structure used to fire clay up to high temperatures. Kilns can be fueled using different materials –electricity, natural gas, wood, coal, propane or oil

Pyrometric Cones

Small cone-like shapes that are comprised of ceramic materials designed to bend when a certain

temperature is reached

Melting of the cone automatically

shuts the kiln OFF

Hand-building

•A term that refers to one of several techniques used to build pottery using only the hands and simple tools, rather than using a potter’s wheel.

•PINCHING•COILING•SLAB

Underglaze/ Glaze

Underglaze- oxides or commercial colorants, applied before glaze application(paint for clay, exists UNDER clear glaze)

Glaze- a glasslike substance comprised of three basic ingredients: silica, flux, and aluminaCan be CLEAR or COLORED

3 Methods of Applying Glaze

•1. Brushing- a method of applying glaze using even brush strokes by means of a paintbrush. Can be used to avoid thick deposits of glaze where strokes overlap, and also may require several coats depending on the glaze

•2. Dipping- a method of applying glaze to a piece by immersing it in a container of glaze

•3. Pouring- a method of applying glaze to by pouring glaze into or on the piece

How was the art of ceramics first discovered?

•Woven basket was lined with clay

•Basket caught fire

•Clay hardened in basket form

•Heat makes clay permanent

Wedging Clay

•Eliminates air bubbles and makes the clay more consistent. Types of wedging are Kneading, Wedging, Spiral Wedging and Ram’s Head Wedging

•You must wedge your clay to eliminate air to prevent your project from exploding in the kiln

Needle Tool

•A sharp, needle like tool used for scratching the clay surface.

•Cut AWAY from yourself

Feldman’s Method of Art Criticism• Description-Make a list of the visual qualities of the work that are obvious and

immediately perceived. “What do you see in the artwork”? Includes content and subject matter in representational works, includes abstract elements in nonrepresentational pieces.

• Analysis-Focus on the formal aspects of elements of art, principles of design, and other formal considerations: exaggeration, composition etc. “How does the artist create a center of interest?” How does the use of color impact the painting?” How is the artwork organized?

• Interpretation-Propose ideas for possible meaning based on evidence. Viewers project their emotions/feelings/intentions onto the work. “What do you think it means”? “What was the artist trying to communicate”? “What clues do you see that support your ideas”?

• Judgment-Discuss the overall strengths/success/merit of the work. Is the artwork successful for its intended purpose?

Slip•a mixture of clay and water used in joining clay pieces (glue) and for decoration (slip trailing)

Banding Wheel

•Hand-operated turntable for applying wax resist, banded decoration, etc. Allows the artist to view pot from all sides (360 degrees)

Hump & Slump Molds• Slump- a concave support mold that holds clay in a certain shape until

it hardens

*work INSIDE the mold*

• Hump Mold (also known as a Drape Mold) –

a convex support mold that holds clay in a certain shape until it hardens

*work OUTSIDE of the mold*

Coil Method • This method of forming clay requires you to roll out

long ropes/snakes of clay that are added to a base. This method allows you to use smaller pieces to construct a larger form allowing you also to control the moisture content more easily.

• Let bottom harden to support the additional clay’s weight you will be adding to top

Slab & Slab Roller

• Slab- flat “pancake like” piece of clay which can then be cut into shapes and draped over a form, wrapped around a form or built into a box. One of the hand building techniques

• Slab Roller- A machine used to produce even slabs by placing clay between two canvas pieces, and then rolling a large pin over the canvas by means of a hand operated wheel

Paddling

•hitting the clay with a flat piece of wood to create strong joints, alter the shape and add texture to clay

Burnishing

•uses a smooth object to polish the surface of a leather hard piece that produces a shine when firing at low temperatures

Credit Line

Dorothea Lange. Towards Los Angeles,

California, 1937. Photographic print, Gelatin silver.

9 x 9 1/4 in. Library of Congress Prints and

Photographs Division

Text acknowledging the source or origin of published or exhibited artwork

Artist’s NameTitle of ArtworkYear Artwork was madeMediumSize of ArtworkWhere the Artwork is located

Types of Clay Body

•Earthenware- low fire clay that remains porous after firing (Red/terracotta or white)

•Stoneware- mid to high fire clay that is dense, non-porous, and hard after firing

•Porcelain-high fire clay that is pure clay and is usually translucent (fine china).

Piercing

•uses a variety of tools to cut holes in clay as decoration *Negative space *

Incise

•the process of removing clay by carving

Functional VS. Sculptural

•Functional (utilitarian)- refers to pottery that has a use (example: cup, bowl, or plate)

•Sculpture-A 3D work of art, that can be described as assemblage, in the round, or relief. More decorative

Texture•An element of art that refers to the surface quality or

“feel” of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness.

•Actual texture can be felt while simulated textures are implied by the way the artist renders areas of the picture

Inlay

•Filling in impressed or incised areas in your clay with colored CLAY

Template• A pattern used as a guide in making a form with accuracy, as

when using a stencil

• Offers a profile view of the pottery piece

Proportion• A principle of art that refers to the comparative relationship of 2

objects in respect to size, scale, and a ratio.

Name that term!

Wet clay is weaker than dry clay, and wet clay can slump or collapse due to __________.

•Answer: Gravity